Living at a JFK base
 

Anybody been based in JFK? How was QOL and where do you think is the best affordable place to look for housing?

"Q" gardens. Kew is the correct spelling. If you are only flying out of JFK, you might be able to find a place closer. Be prepared to live with a bunch of guys in a crashpad. The guy that owned my crash pad was pretty cool ... we did, however, have roughly five beds on the bottom floor, five on another, and as your "seniority" grew in the house, you moved up in floors and privacy. You could eventually get two or one to a one, but the reality is, you're there maybe one night a week if that.

If you have never lived in NY, it's an eye opening experience yet a rewarding experience. New Yorkers aren't as bad as the rest of the world makes them out to be. You can expect to pay 2-350 a month for a crash pad.

I rode the city bus most of the time and it's nothing to see another crew member standing on the bus in uniform with flight bag. Peak hours you never wait long for a bus. Off peak hours you can wait for as long as an hour. IF you have to live along a subway route, you can get a metro card (pass) which allows you to ride the subway for one portion and the bus for the next. If your money allows, you can use one of those fly-by-night car companys. You'll know them because nine times out of ten his lincoln will be driven by a middle-easterner who has lead build up in both feat and drives with one foot on the brake and the other on the gas. They are farely cheap ... much cheaper than the yellow taxis, but the yellow taxis are union.

It's safe, but I would probably ask people in your company where they stay. Kew gardens is flight attendant central and it's about equal distance between JFK and LGA. You have several bus lines right there and I think it's the F train over head. PM me if you have specific questions. I hope this helped.

Tom

How did you go about finding a crashpad?

did you use crashpads.com?

more responses would be nice if anybody else has experience!

let me guess, you just got hired by COMAIR

I didn't use that website. I asked my coworkers. That is probably going to be your best bet. I have heard of people using that site, though. Good luck.

I've heard of crashpads being listed on craigslist.

Kew Gardens if you want SOME semblance of safety. If you are young, dumb and full of you know what, check out Pete's place in Jamaica on Rockaway and 132nd. Good luck

Yeah Comair, and contrary to what the news says, I am happy to be here, the entire class is shipping out to JFK as is every other class here i think...I am a little nervous to go to JFK just because I have never been there and don't know where anything is, so I don't want to rush into getting a place, and find out it sucks, or it's location sucks etc...

Is Kew Gardens about as close as you would get to JFK for the Safety Factor??

anyone know anything about these neighborhoods::confused:
Jamaica
Briarwood
Richmond Hill
South Jamaica
Rosedale
Brookville
Laurelton

Obviously I chose these because of their close proximety to JFK, most of what I have heard is the Kew Gardens area is the place to be

YES!!!! Kew Gardens is/was the place. Leferts and Metropolitan Ave. Good Eats, Bars, and a nice Chinese laundry to keep your uni clean :) Q10 bus line to get you to work.

I was there back in the hey day before 9/11. Crashpads ran about 250 a month with anywhere from 8-12 roomies. Back then TWA,AA,DL,UA,Tower,Polar along with Eagle and Trans States all had F/A and Pilot bases there. Plenty of crews to hang out with and you got 1st dibs on all the newbie F/A's. Not sure how it is now, but I can honestly say that being based at JFK was one of the highlights of my career so far.